Having your own students
advertising books can be a great way of getting more students to
read. The American Film Institute website is also a great
place to find ideas for your classroom, including the "Best
Quotes" idea presented below.

AFI’s recent tribute to movies in the form of developing a list of
the top 100 quotes from movies got me thinking.How many of us have lists of books for students’ summer
reading?How many of us ask
that they write book reports on what they have read?No matter what form these reports take in terms of length or
comprehensiveness, can we agree that these reports often end up being
less about how much fun the book was to read than they are about
answering a list of forgettable questions about the book?

So, here’s my idea.When
your students return to school this August, instead of that book report,
ask them to find a phrase or sentence from the book that encapsulates
the theme of the book or a memorable character from the book.The student has to use critical thinking in order to select just
the right phrase or sentence.I
think a great way to showcase this effort is to create a poster for the
book that contains the selection; along with the title and author, the
student could include a graphic of some kind.Once the poster is complete, it can be hung in the media center,
in the school hallway, or your own classroom.What a great way to advertise a book!

To get you started, can you guess the book from which these quotes
were taken:

1.
"Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will
still be Socs. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle
that are really the lucky stiffs."

2.
"Have you seen this wizard? Approach with extreme
caution! Do not attempt to use magic against this man!"

3.
"What does it mean that Germans despise me simply
because I am a Jew?"

Answers:

1.The Outsiders, S, E, Hinton

2.Harry Potter (Prisoner of Azkaban), J. K. Rowling

3.The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank

For more information on the American Film Institute, quick click the
link below:

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to Our StarTeaching Readers
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Hank
Kellner is a retired teacher of English who
has served as a department chair at the high school level and an
adjunct associate professor of English at the community college
level.

He is the former publisher of Moneygram,
a marketing newsletter for photographer. He is also the
creator of many photographs and articles that have appeared in
publications nationwide, the author of extensive reading
comprehension materials for a publisher of educational
materials, and a former contributor to Darkroom Photography
magazine. His self-syndicated series, Twelve Unknown
Heroes of the American Revolution appeared in more than
fifty newspapers and magazines nationwide.

Kellner's most recent publication, Write What
You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing, is marked by Prufrock
Press. His blog appears regularly at hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com.

The purpose of Hank's most
recent work, Reflections, is to inspire student
writing through the use of poetry and photography.

Most of the poems and photos have been submitted by students,
teachers, and others nationwide, though some are directly from
Hank. Although Reflections has not yet been
published, all of its contents are copyrighted. Teachers
are free, however, to download selected contents for use in
their classrooms.

Each selection will include a poem, a photograph, a direct
quotation, and four trigger words.

We at StarTeaching kindly thank Hank for his permission to
use the materials.

Soda
Shop Stop

By
Elizabeth Guy

It was a small soda shop
in a small little town
where we’d stopped to watch a fair—
a festival scene
on a grassy green—
a party in ginger-ale air.

In that small soda shop
with its bent iron chairs
sitting outside by the door
we stopped
in the heat of the moment
to rest a moment or more.

In the heat of the moment
we stopped
to share a cone
of chocolate ice cream
mounded round as a dream
and dripping its owntongue-licking cool cream.

Which I licked with youmaking swirls of my ownwith my tongue glistening pink on that
coldness—
for to lick your skin would be a sin sin
in public—condemned for boldness.

Photo 6 By Hank Kellner

“Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn't illegal.”
-Voltaire

SWEET
TASTY MELT
FESTIVAL

Untitled

By Julie Brown

every year, it’s always the same
the brown, rough statues stand tallfeet firmly planted in the ground
hoping to grow, reaching the sky
just out of grasp
then come the pesky green dots
spots of color – until mid-spring
then they are in full force
waving, swinging, attracting attention
the trees just sigh and stand
by autumn, they’ve had enough
they start to burn the leaves off
slowly, one by one
green to yellow to orange to red to brown
as they fall, the trees regretwinter’s here and they’ve lost their coats

Photo 7 by Hank Kellner

“I like trees because they seem more resigned to
the way they have to live than other things do.”- Willa Cather

SEASONS
NATURE
LEAVES YELLOW

Copyright
2009 Hank Kellner

These poem/photo combinations are from
Hank Kellner's upcoming publication, Reflections: A Collection of Poetry, Photos, and
More.

Hank
Kellner is the author of
Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing. Published by Cottonwood Press ( I-800-864-4297)
and distributed by IndependentPublishers Group, Write What You See includes a supplementary CD with photos. 8 ½ x11,
120 pages, perfect binding, ISBN 978-1-877-673-83-2, LCCN
2008938630. $24.95. Available at bookstores, from the publisher,and on the Internet at www.amazon.comand
other websites.
Ask
your school or local librarian to order it.Visit the author’s
blog at http://hank-englisheducation.com.
The author will contribute a portion of the royalties earned
from the sale of this book to The Wounded Warriors Project.

There
are six modules designed to test the basic ability of an
individual in terms of Memory & Concentration. Needless to
say this is the most important basic skill for not just to
survive but also to thrive in this competitive environment.
Each of the six modules tests the six variants of Memory &
Concentration in an individual, namely:

1.

Picture
recognition

2.

Paired Associate
Learning

3.

Immediate Recall

4.

Serial processing

5.

Parallel
processing

6.

Recognition and
Recall

Each
of these modules runs at three different levels, from easy to
difficult.

At each level, the individual's performance is depicted as
Scores Obtained.

A feedback has been built into the software for all these 18
levels depending on the marks one scores during the
test.

Each individual can assess his/her performance any time by
clicking on "history", which gives complete details
of date and time of taking the tests, marks scored each time
and even time taken to do the test. This builds the confidence
level and encourages more participation to eventually
culminate in improvement and enhancement of memory and
concentration.

Essentially, this software is a SELF AWARENESS tool that
surely motivates the individual to realize one's capability
and seek or be receptive for improvement. Also, if repeatedly
done over a period of time works as Training tool to enhance
their capability.

This
software package is specifically designed to help young
children to learn basic skills that will help them in
school. Continued follow-up will give these young
learners success as they mature.

Three versions of the software exist:
Individual Software on either CD or Online, Family
Version Software, and an Institutional Software package.

StarTeaching wholeheartedly supports
and endorses this software. It will make a difference
with your child or student.

It has
been said that, "People don't care how much you
know until they know how much you care".This is also true with kids.

Kids are people too and they deserve respect as
people that you would give to any adult.When I was a student, I was expected to respect my teachers and
the adults of school by my parents, but today’s kids do not have that
same expectation on them.This
means that we, the teachers, must swallow our pride and show respect to
the kids first in order for the kids to respect us.This seems backwards, but there is no use fighting that battle
(maybe we can discuss this in a future article!)

As soon as you show respect to the kids, they
become less defensive and open to your teaching, advice, ideas, and
recommendations.Word gets
around the kids of the school that you are a fair person because you
care.I believe that you
can show that you care for kids when you show them that they deserve to
be respected as people.This
has allowed me to be able to manage my classroom more effectively too.

"People
don't care how much you know until they know how much you
care"

The kids know that I
respect them and that I expect them to respect me back.They know that the "lines have been drawn" in
terms of proper behavior in class.

So, I have set rules based on what I believe is
respectful.This goes over
much easier when the kids feel respected by me, the teacher.I only send kids to the office when a student has crossed too
many lines and I just need him/her out to maintain my own composure.This has not happened in a few years (Knock on wood).

Respect shows that you care and when the kids know you care, they will
respect and listen to you, and you will have an easier time in your
classroom management no matter what level you teach.

Grand Valley offers a Masters in Educational Leadership in Boyne City and Cadillac. If you would like to find out more about our program feel free to contact me
at: jjudge2935@charter.net
or call me at 231-258-2935.

Many of the topics we will present will be for teachers seeking and administration position and for recently appointed administration. I will also receive comments from those who have just completed their first year as administrators. Since the program in Northern began eleven years ago we have placed over 60 GVSU graduates in administration positions.

Student
Teachers' Lounge:
For The Things They Don't Teach You In College

Change Lives!
Be a Mentor
(part 1)

by Jill Gurr
Create Now!

Jill
Gurr is founder of the non-profit organization Create Now! She
has mentored more than 50 high-risk children and youth and has
trained hundreds of people to mentor thousands of kids. Learn
more at www.createnow.org
or email Jill at: info@createnow.org

WHY, WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

Half of the U.S. youth population (17.6 million kids to be exact) is
considered to be “at-risk” of getting into trouble with the law, or
“high-risk” and already in trouble. This isn’t a problem only in
the United States. Street gangs, drug addiction, child prostitution,
abuse and neglect are major concerns around the world.

Our children need help!

It’s easy to turn your back and ignore the problem, but what will you
do when some kids jack your car? Or rape your daughter? Or spend their
entire lives on welfare or in the prison system, on your tax dollars?

DISCOVERING A SOLUTION

One solution that has been proven to work is mentoring. A mentor is a
loyal advisor, a teacher or coach, sponsor, guide, confidante and role
model. He or she is a special friend who serves as an advocate for the
needs of someone else and makes an effort to bring out their best
qualities.

I learned this first-hand in 1993 when I mentored a group of teenage
boys who were incarcerated at a Los Angeles detention center for a
variety of crimes. As a produced screenwriter, I wanted to share my love
of writing with troubled kids in hope of inspiring them to change their
lives.

I had a great idea for a story about two rival gang leaders from
different ethnic backgrounds (Latino vs. African-American) ending up at
the same detention camp where they had to resolve their differences.

During the next few months as I worked on our script with the boys, my
Screenwriting Workshop went through all kinds of changes. In the end,
the boys completed writing the script with me and it was optioned by
producers. The best part though was that a number of the kids who were
illiterate learned how to read and write through my program. I witnessed
other remarkable changes as well -- a tough Chicano gang leader had
tattoos removed from his body, and several of the boys wanted to go to
college.

Thrilled with the results of this experience, I quickly came up with
another idea for a screenplay and started a new Screenwriting Workshop,
this time at a co-ed detention center. Again, these girls and boys were
transformed through their experience of contributing to a screenplay,
but especially from my interactions with them every week as their
mentor. They opened up their hearts, shared their problems, and
flourished under my guidance.

Inspired by these successes, I founded a non-profit organization in
1996. Create Now! matches writers, artists, musicians and other creative
individuals in Los Angeles with high-risk kids who live in
court-mandated institutions, such as homes for abused and neglected
children, runaways, homeless kids and those in trouble with the law.

Through Create Now! I’ve personally mentored more than 50 of these
kids and I’ve trained dozens of other mentors to work with high-risk
youth. Create Now! has reached thousands of the most troubled children
in Southern California.

SO, JUST WHAT IS MENTORING?

You may wonder exactly what is mentoring. It’s not tutoring, which
involves the teaching of a skill or discipline. Mentoring depends on the
nurturing of a close, personal relationship. While helping with
schoolwork can be a part of it, that’s just one aspect. Mentors
inspire us to try harder and give us the confidence to reach for more
ambitious goals. They teach us how to make good choices and open doors
to new opportunities that normally wouldn’t be available.

A mentee, or protégé, is a novice, student or learner. At-risk and
high-risk kids can be of any race and religion. They generally come from
disadvantaged homes in poor communities. All children need the support
of a positive adult, but these particular kids especially need help.

Research has shown that kids who are mentored have improved school
attendance and better academic performance, a good appearance and
attitude, less hostility, more self-esteem and many other improved
qualities that are too numerous to name.

A SUCCESS STORY

Tasha is another perfect example that proves mentoring makes a
difference. She came from a poor community in South Central, Los
Angeles. A bright girl with many talents, she didn’t get along with
her family. When she was thirteen years old, Tasha began running away
from home. She hung out with boys who got in trouble with the law. She
was sent to detention camps and different institutions over the next few
years.

I met Tasha at a detention facility when she was almost sixteen. She
eagerly signed up for a Create Now! TV Writing Workshop with a
professional sit-com writer who prefers to remain anonymous. When Tasha
returned to her home in South Central, her mentor continued to visit her
weekly. They formed a strong bond.

Her mentor moved to another state, so Create Now! provided Tasha with
two additional mentors who helped her periodically. Her original mentor
stayed in touch via phone and email. When Tasha graduated from high
school, her mentors helped her apply to USC Film School and arranged for
a scholarship. She was one of only fifty people in the world to be
accepted into their film program.

Tasha graduated from college in December 2004. She got a job teaching
disadvantaged middle-school children how to make their own videos. One
of her mentors helped her get employed as a production assistant on a TV
show and she’s now on the way to a lucrative career in the
entertainment industry. We’re all very proud of Tasha.

Mark
Benn earned his B.S. from Western
Michigan University and his Elementary Certification from
Northern Michigan University. He is a 20 year teaching
veteran of 5th and 6th grade students at Inland Lakes Middle
School in Indian River, MI. He finished his Masters of
Integration of Technology from Walden University.

Prior to teaching, Mark spent 11 years as
Department Manager for Sears, Roebuck and Co. dealing with
emerging technologies. He has been married to his wife
Bonnietta for 32 years with one daughter and two sons. In
the summers, Mark works for Mackinac State Historic Parks in the
as a historical interpreter.

This article will touch on a number of great sites
that will enhance what you are doing or send you into another great
direction.

http://www.jingproject.com/Jing Project provides free screen capture and sharing software
for Mac and Windows computers. Screenshots are very useful when making
how-to handouts and slide shows. Videos of your desktop are great for
how-tos and tours of web sites or software.

http://www.gizmoz.com/Founded in 2003, Gizmoz offers consumers a new generation of character-based
visual expression for use across
their digital lives.
The Gizmoz service makes it easy and fun to create, customize, animate
and share lifelike, 3D talking characters that enable
individuals to put a unique face and voice to their digital
communications.

http://www.think.com/en/Think.com connects schools, teachers, and students from around
the world to collaborate on projects, share experiences, and build
knowledge together. Teachers can easily integrate project learning into
their curriculum, enabling students to develop critical skills for life
and work in the 21st century. Teachers and students build their own
webpages to share learning experiences. Simple publishing tools allow
members to easily create content and engage one another in thoughtful
online discussions.

http://rvms.nbed.nb.ca/Check out this school site that hosts a K-12
video and photography festival. Just imagine what your students could
do. The International
Student Film and Photography Festival is now accepting submissions until
March 31st., 2008!

http://imbee.com/imbee
is a parent approved, teacher endorsed social networking site
appropriate for kids and 'tweens.

http://voicethread.com/classroom.phpQuoting from the website: A VoiceThread allows every child in
a class to record audio commentary about the ideas and experiences that
are important to them. Whether an event, a project, or a milestone,
children can tell their story in their own voice, and then share it with
the world. For teachers, VoiceThreads offer a single vessel to capture
and then share all the diverse personalities of an entire class.

There you have it. Ten assorted web sites that should provide
something of interest for everyone.

Mark Benn earned his B.S. from Western
Michigan University and his Elementary Certification from
Northern Michigan University. He is a 21 year teaching
veteran of 5th and 6th grade students at Inland Lakes Middle
School in Indian River, MI. He is currently working on
Masters of Integration of Technology from Walden University.

Prior to teaching, Mark spent 11 years as Department Manager for
Sears, Roebuck and Co. dealing with emerging technologies.
He has been married to his wife Bonnietta for 32 years with one
daughter and two sons. In the summers, Mark works for
Mackinac State Historic Parks in the as a historical
interpreter.

Rad Resources
for
Science EducatorsSummer Professional Development (part 1)

by Helen De La
Maza

Helen
de la Mazais a Curriculum and Instruction Consultant in southern
California with almost 15 years experience in the field of
education. She has written curricula and taught science,
environmental science, and environmental education to students
ranging in age from 4 to 85 years!

She believes that learning the process of
scientific thinking can help students think critically and be
careful observers of the natural and human-made world.

Helen earned an MS in Wildlife Science, an MA in
Curriculum and Instruction, California single subject teaching
credentials in Biological Sciences and English, and a multiple
subject credential. When she was in graduate school for her MS,
she realized that "interpreters" were needed to
communicate between the scientific community and lay people.
Much of her work has been focused on doing this through
teaching, training, and writing.

The Internet and World Wide Web provide the opportunity for massive amounts of information
to be distributed to a wide audience. In fact, so much information is available that it is
overwhelming to sort through! As a Science Educator you barely have enough time to plan
your curriculum and assess your students, let alone spend hours surfing the web looking for
great resources. The purpose of this new Science Feature in StarTeaching is to help you provide
excellent information, media, and lessons to your students that are already available on the web.

I’ll do the searching for you and highlight every couple weeks some Rad Resources for Science
Educators. Feedback is appreciated! Email me at: delamazah@earthlink.net

Marine Biology for Elementary Educators: July 8 - August 29, 2011; Cost: $275
The ocean covers 75% of the earth’s surface and yet the animals that live here remain unfamiliar
to most of us. This course will submerse you in the biology of aquatic animals. You will increase
your knowledge about marine biology and be able to build a connection between your students
and the oceans while covering topics core to elementary education. This course combines
interactive activities, stories, literacy and math teaching with learning about sea creatures.
Participants will receive an electronic version of Elly Jelly Looks at Marine Animals student
book and teacher’s guide “Elly Jelly’s Surprise.”

Over 5 weeks, starting June 6, 2011, you’ll participate in lively discussions, test your own
hypothesis, conduct wiki-based peer review, and get feedback on your ideas for implementing
free inquiry-based curriculum with your students. You’ll have the opportunity to practice science
investigations just like the ones you’ll try with your students! Four CEU credits from Cornell
University are available for $10. Cost of course is $350. Registration: June 1, 2011.

Year-Round School is the operation of educational institutions on a
calendar-system that tracks students into class schedules throughout the
entire calendar year. A primary motivation is that higher student
throughput is accomplished via more effective scheduling of school
resources. Funding considerations favor multi-tracking students, which
allows more students to use the same number of classrooms - instead of
constructing entirely new schools. Opponents cite higher costs due to
utilities and the delay of building new facilities when they are needed,
and ADM losses.

In addition to these systems, students enrolled in year-round classes
often claim that their calendar schedule is more balanced. Advocates
claim that year-round calendars help students achieve higher and allow
teachers to provide more effective education. Reports from the
California State Department Of Education show that standardized test
scores increased an average of 9.5% in Grade 3 with an average increase
of 13.3% in reading scores.

Conversely, Los Angeles Assistant Superintendent Gordon Wohlers
stated, "In a sworn declaration, Assistant Superintendent Gordon
Wohlers conceded that for years L.A. school officials have, in effect,
perpetrated a fraud on the children of Los Angeles. Year-round education
is not, in fact, a swell way to keep kids learning all year, as district
officials originally claimed. Instead, the schedule, as practiced here,
has hurt students badly, declared Wohlers. ". Lawsuits have even
been filed against various school districts, citing year-round schools
as being "harmful to students."

Track Scheduling

Organization of the school calendar redistributes time from the
traditional summer vacation to other times throughout the year in the
form of breaks called inter sessions.

Two forms of year-round education are common:

Single-Track calendarsAs with traditional calendars (all single track calendars
are modified traditional calendars), all students attend school during
the same intervals, and share the same scheduled breaks. Single-track
year-round calendars are known by many names; Balanced Calendar,
Modified Calendar, Alternative Calendar. This list is not all inclusive.
All year-round calendars are identified by their characteristics, not by
what name has been chosen by the school district. These characteristics
are shortened summer vacation, Fall breaks, extended Christmas and/or
Easter breaks, and early school start dates. Typical school start dates
are in late July/early August.

Multi-track schemeStudents are assigned different schedules called tracks. These
tracks are also split up throughout the year, but a single student is
not required to attend every single track in order to complete one full
year of education. At all times during the year, students in the same
school will be on vacation while others are schooling. Typical school
start dates are in July.

Whether on a single- or multi-track schedule, students attend school
for a prescribed length of time and then have a vacation. These breaks,
whether vacation time or instruction time, are known as inter sessions.
Common schedules are 7 to 12 weeks of school, followed by a 1-3 week
break. Summer vacations are shortened to as little as 4 weeks in order
to support the added breaks throughout the year.

Look for more on the advantages and disadvantages of Year Round
School in upcoming issues!

The legends of the Michigan Dogman come alive in six haunting
tales by folklore author, Frank Holes, Jr.Based upon both mythology and alleged real stories of the
beast, this collection is sure to fire the imagination!

Spanning the decades and the geography of the
Great Lakes
State
, Frank weaves:

A mysterious police report of an unsolvable death in
Manistee
County

A
terrifying encounter in the U.P.’s remote
Dickinson
County

A BLOG,
begun as one man’s therapy, becomes a chronicle of sightings
from around
Michigan

A secret
governmental agent investigates the grisly aftermath of Sigma

A pioneer
family meets more than they expected on the trail north

A
campfire tale of ancient betrayal handed down through the Omeena
Tribe

Salima
Moosa Sewani
has been in the field of teaching for 8 years. She is running
her own Learning Center and also working with the Exceptional
People in Pakistan. She is a Master Trainer and has done many
teaching certifications.

Teaching
is indeed a much respected but a challenging profession. The
knowledge and expertise of a
teacher helps him/her to fight back the challenges, but a positive
‘learning’ attitude is also required. I believe that we all are in a
learning process. Every day we learn something new by making mistakes.

The most
challenging task for the religion teacher is to integrate and implement
the curriculum of primary and secondary effectively. The primary
curriculum is not fulfilling the needs of mentally challenged people.
During my teaching experience at the Aga Khan special people religious
school, I have deeply analyzed that most of the teachers could not teach
the primary Ta’lim curriculum to them, because the Intellectual
Quotient of exceptional people is comparatively lower than normal
children studying in religious education centre. I am a proud of
the challenged students, who wants to do every thing to fulfill their
religious needs as well. I courageously took this challenge and
participated in a master training program in inclusive education with
few teachers. I also joined Pakistan association research in education
to acquire continuous trainings. We developed few lessons plan resources
and developed IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) which helped
teachers to teach borderline children about faith Tariqah and basic
ethics in a diluted form.

I would
suggest that there should be a same curriculum book for them in a more
diluted form or there should be a permission granted to the teachers to
amend curriculum according to their desires.

I have one
example of my student A. She is in class 7 in Religious Education
Centre. She is borderline student. She shared the difficulties which she
faced a month back with me. She told me that my class teacher had failed
me in all the subjects and forced me to repeat the class; but I don’t
want to sit in the same class for the third time. I asked but she
refused, because this was third time teacher failed me. When I asked
teacher, she told me that A doesn’t understand anything. Therefore,
and we can’t promote her. When I asked few questions to A regarding
the chapters of history, she was unable to reply even a single question
due to typical curriculum for children with special needs.

Before my
teaching practicum, I observed the religious school for a few days, and
I found a competitive atmosphere to teach secondary curriculum, given by
ITREB for a time being. Teachers are planning lesson plans ineffectively
and most of the teachers are not participating in the teacher training
courses due to busy schedule. I hope that the future curriculum of
secondary will provide adequate knowledge of the subjects to the
students for leading a religious life in this progressive world.

Challenging
in the classroom is the most competitive part for teachers. Whether
it’s a religious or a secular school, class room interaction is very
important while teaching. If there will be no proper classroom
interaction, then a child will not grow as per need. Classroom
interaction plays a vital and crucial role in effective learning of the
children. Teachers are facing lots of challenges during their classroom
interaction.

One of the
most important challenges teachers are facing is favoritism. During my
observation at the Government school, I saw teachers were giving value
to those students which s/he likes a lot and appreciate those, who are
extra ordinary brilliant in classroom. Those who are good at studies got
the least marks in exams just because of the favoritism of a teacher.
Teachers aren’t motivating and encouraging those children who’re shy
and feeble in studies. Their learning becomes stuck due to the wrong
attitude of a teacher. I personally faced that challenge, when my
supporting teacher was appreciating favoritism in class room. I saw one
reserved child in my class, who was avoided by the teacher, most of the
time. A was the shy child in my class. He didn’t speak a single
sentence in class. I always supported him by praising him and inspiring
all the time and tried my best to engage him in group activities.

Another
challenge of classroom interaction is communication. Teachers cannot
teach the students in their cultural language, if s/he may find an
exceptional case of different background student in his/her class. When
I was teaching in Afghan camp back in 1999, the most important challenge
I faced was the challenge of communication. They understood neither Urdu
nor English. They only used to communicate in Persian. Whenever I taught
in Urdu, they laughed which led to disciplinary problems. I took this
challenge and worked hard to learn few foundational words and sentences
of Persian language. After working hard, I was at least able to
communicate them. I also was able to maintain discipline after that.

One more
challenge facing by the teachers is lack of planning in teaching, which
I also faced in special night school. Classroom interaction
doesn’t mean within the class, it means to create classroom
environment any where, especially for special students. When I joined
religious school, I observed that the main focus of all the teachers was
on theoretical learning. There was no interactive session in classroom.
No indoor and outdoor activities were designed, which could help to
create pleasant environment. I talked to my head and took instant action
and prepared few activities for them which helped to develop their
interest which they required the most rather than traditional classroom
environment.

Another
issue in a class is of time management. Teachers mostly teach in the
form of lecture without pre-planning. And when they feel that time is
running out, few of the teachers end up their lesson by leaps and
bounds, that the students sometimes feel as if their opinions are not
being given enough priority. I believe, that a lesson should be pre-
planned and if, incase, teachers will not be able to cover the course on
time, even then, they should at least make the most out of their
teaching.

An important
challenge in the classroom is classroom management as it’s very
important to create and sustain healthy environment in the class through
which child learning capability will be developed. When I started
teaching in Karachi Kids University, I was given a room with no proper
arrangement for children. There was very limited space; but the number
of students was more due to which students were not feeling comfortable.
I went to the administrator and asked her to divide students into two
groups and allocate another class through which they can study at ease.
After that initiative, children thoroughly enjoyed the studies. Our
books also reflect that males are dominant in our society.

Dr. Zaira
Wahab expresses his opinion,“Gender inequality is a
problem embedded in the fabric of Pakistan’s social structure. The
problem emanates at the primary level, as low participation and high
dropouts at this stage prevent females from reaching higher education
and equitable opportunities for such furtherance do not become available
to the female gender...…when both girls and boys are given opportunity
to practice language in classroom activities, the girls will get lesser
practice chances as their dialogues are shorter and fewer.”2

I agree, because during my
teaching practicum in Government school, the challenge that I faced was
of gender biasness. I saw many teachers giving importance and lots of
attention to boys rather than girls. Females were discouraged to
participate in class room. Due to that gender biasness, girls showed
lack of interest in studies and their grades were low as compared to
boys. During my teaching practicum, I tried to assure females students
of their equal importance in class participation. I gave equal
importance to both genders by which female students feel relaxed and
their curiosity towards learning was developed.

I must
conclude,

“Sometimes
struggle are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to
go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us.”(
anonymous)

Be sure to check out our website for the FREE teacher Who-I-Want-To- Be
plan and other great Freebies for new teachers. Simply click the
following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm

Be sure to check out our website for more great
information, tips, and techniques for new teachers,
student-teachers, and interns in teacher prep programs. Also be
sure to check out our Who-I-Want-To-Be teacher plan for
preparing yourself to enter the educational profession. Simply
click the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm

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"Ode to the End of the
Year"

By Heather Skipworth
Craven
Themes
on Life

Happy
thoughts as the school year comes to a close...

Roses are rare,
Violets need care.
My desk is a chaotic mess.
The bulletin boards are holey and worn,
How many more assessment tests???

Folders are creased,
Pencils are chewed and nubby,
My file cabinet bulges and bends,
And if I get one more apple thing for teacher appreciation
I will definitely go off the deep end.

Roses are magic
Violets are fragile
And so is my classroom control
Spring fever has descended...
My expectations up ended
And my schedule is taking its toll...

But ah, there are the moments
That are now etched in deep
Of trust and the awe of discovery,
The laughter, and tension
Ideas…too many to mention,
Friendships to savor and keep.

Roses all too soon fade
Violets are delicate as glass
My students will move on
Their lives a learning song,
My hope and daily prayer
Is for my touch on each child to last.

Roses are treasured,
Violets are nurtured
Students grow, blossom and transcend,
Oh that I can be that teacher they remember
As a life gardener and a friend

What's New @ StarTeaching?

Hello readers! Welcome to your
second May issue of Features For Teachers for 2011!

This
month, we bring another great poetry/photograph selection from Hank Kellner
from his upcoming
book, Reflections. We also have a great set of science resources by Helen de la
Maza, organized around Professional Development for the summer.

You'll also find great articles from
Jill Gurr and Mark Benn, as well as from guest writers Salima Moosa
Sewani and Dave Hare.

As
always, we have free activities (from Mary Ann Graziani and Frank Holes
Jr.) and articles with practical ideas
and techniques to be applied directly into your classroom.

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job? Our website has just gained access to a specialized
service just for our members and newsletter readers. Job
listings, application and interviewing tips, and priceless
information, at your fingertips!

Lucy’s class took a field trip to the science museum. They left school at 7:30 A.M. It took
them 30 minutes to drive to the museum. They stayed at the museum for 2 hours and it
took them 30 minutes to drive back to the school. What time was it when Lucy's class got
back to school?

Day 3

For basketball practice, Daniel’s team practiced defense for 1 hour and 30 minutes and
offense for 30 minutes. If the practice ended at 5:30 P.M., what time did it start?

Day 4

Rose starting playing video games as soon as she got home from school. She played video
games for 1 hour. Then, it took Rose 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish her homework. When
Rose finished her homework, it was 5:00 P.M. What time did Rose get home from school?

Day
5

Joshy's soccer practice started at 7:00 A.M. on Saturday morning. The team practiced
dribbling for 1 hour and practiced shooting for 30 minutes. Then they played a scrimmage
game for 30 minutes before practice ended. What time was it when Joshy's soccer practice
ended?

Day 6

Chase went to the
playground at 11:30 A.M. He played on the slide for 30 minutes and the swings for 30 minutes, then went home. What time was it when Chase left the
playground?

Day
7

John toured San Francisco with his family. They
started their tour at 1:00 P.M. at the Golden Gate Bridge, where they spent 1 hour and 30 minutes. They spent 3 hours on a tour of
Alcatraz and 30 minutes in Chinatown before dinner. What time did John and his family go
to dinner?

Day
8

Patricia went camping with her family. They left their house at 4:00 P.M. It took 1 hour to
drive to the campground. When they arrived, they spent 30 minutes setting up the campsite
and 30 minutes cooking dinner. What time was it when Patricia and her family finally ate
dinner?

Day 9

Maria flew from Boston to Orlando with a stop in Atlanta to switch planes. The flight from
Boston to Atlanta was 3 hours long. Maria was in Atlanta for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and
her flight from Atlanta to Orlando was 1 hour long. Maria landed in Orlando at 1:30 P.M.
What time did Maria's first flight leave Boston?

Day 10

Before art class, Mary Ann has a spelling test that lasts 30 minutes. Art class lasts for 1 hour
and 30 minutes and ends at 12:30 P.M. What time does Mary Ann start the spelling test?

Be sure to visit Mary Ann Graziani's website to pick
up a copy of any of her THREE books for sale

Learning in
Hand is an
educator's resource for using some of the coolest technologies
with students.

Tony is a teacher who
wants to make education effective, relevant, and fun. He knows
handhelds are small computers that can make a big difference in
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teachers to use technology that students crave.